First Touch
by Medie Shanachie
Summary: Eliot meets someone who will become very important to his life...sequel to "The Arrival"


He slipped into the house, dropping his duffel on the floor by the door, and shutting it almost silently. He wasn't sure if Bri would be awake, but he didn't want to take a chance of waking her or the baby if they were sleeping. Ghosting across the living room, he had almost made it to the stairs when a light flipped on and a man appeared at the top, a rifle pointed at him. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded. "How did you get in?"

Eliot held his hands up, judging the distance and knowing he couldn't rush the man. "My name's Eliot Dawson," he answered. "I'm a friend of Bri's. She invited me to see the baby."

"So you come in the middle of the night and break in?" he demanded.

"I'm gonna pull my key outta my pocket," Eliot said. "Try not to shoot me, okay?" Moving slowly, he reached across his body and with the opposite hand, pulled the key Bri had given him out of his pocket. Holding it up, he showed it to the man holding the rifle on him. "Bri sent me a message telling me her son was born and inviting me to come see them. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by."

The rifle moved so it was angled down and Eliot breathed a sigh of relief. Normally he was confident in taking out anyone, but the man was just too far away. "Bri didn't tell me she was expecting anyone," the man said.

Eliot put a foot on the stairs and slowly began to climb them, speaking all the while. "Probably because she wasn't actually looking for me. She said ta drop in, she didn't give me a time or date. Who're you? And where's Bri?"

"Joe Tyler. I'm Bri's ranch manager. Bri's sleeping." He turned as the door behind him opened. "Or she's supposed to be."

"It's hard to sleep with people talking," Bri's voice complained. "You better not have woken the baby, Tyler. Who're you talking to?"

"Some guy who claims he knows you. Says his name's Eliot Dawson," Tyler tossed over his shoulder.

Eliot was close enough now that he could grab Tyler and toss him down the stairs, but he refrained since the guy was apparently one of Bri's crew. Raising his voice slightly, he called, "Hey, Bri."

A blond head, a hair color he hadn't seen on her in a while, came out of the room; followed by a familiar body clad in a t-shirt and shorts. A welcoming smile graced her face. "Hey, cowboy." She entered the hallway the rest of the way. "It's all right, Tyler. I do know him."

"Still shouldn't be sneaking into the house in the middle of the night," Tyler grumbled.

Eliot refrained from rolling his eyes since Bri looked exhausted. "I wasn't _sneaking_," he pointed out. "I was trying to avoid waking Bri or..." he paused as a wail cut through the air. "The baby," he finished as Bri sighed and turned to go into the other room.

"Go back to the bunkhouse, Tyler," Bri called back as she entered the room the noise was coming from. "Eliot'll stay with me. At the moment I really don't want to see you."

Eliot watched with cold blue eyes as the other man stomped down the stairs and across the living room floor. Eliot didn't like the way the other man was reacting. It was not the movements of a hired hand, but of a lover. While he had no claim on Bri, he hadn't known her to allow a man to have that much control over her either.

When he was sure Tyler had left the main house, he moved down the hall to the room Bri had disappeared into. Leaning against the frame, he looked inside. "Is it safe for me to come in?" he asked as he took in the sight of Bri leaning over the crib.

"I'm not mad at you, cowboy," she answered before cooing at the baby. "Easy, baby boy," she said. "Mama's here. Well, it's just as well you're awake, little one. There's someone here to see you." She reached in and lifted the baby out, supporting him easily. Cradling him against her shoulder, she turned to face Eliot. "Well, come on in. You can't see him out there."

"That's okay. I'll see him, ya know, later. When he's more awake and all," Eliot replied, not moving towards them.

"Eliot, this is as awake as he gets. Here you hold him while I go get his bottle." Without waiting for him to answer, Bri shifted the baby from her arms to Eliot's.

Eliot's eyes widened and he clutched at the baby, panic flowing through his muscles. "Bri, I'm gonna drop it or break it or…" He stopped at the glare from her. "Him. Drop him. Or break him. Are you crazy?!"

"He's your son, Eliot," she called over her shoulder as she started down the stairs. "You're the one that insisted on knowing him."

Glaring after her, he realized she was serious about leaving him alone with his son. After a moment, he shifted the weight in his hands, realizing the baby was heavier than he had expected and looked down. Benjamin had stopped screaming and was looking up at him curiously. Wide blue eyes blinked up at him as a hand waved aimlessly. "Hi," Eliot said hesitantly. "I guess you and I need to get to know each other." Shifting the baby, he put the little one up on his shoulder and walked gingerly across the room. Looking around, he spied a rocker and sat down in it. Moving the baby back around so that they were looking at each other, he continued, "Okay so I dunno what your mama's told you yet, but I'm guessing you know we aren't exactly together. Don't ever think it's your fault, squirt. Your mama and I have our issues, but none of them are cause of you. If anything maybe you'll make things a little better for us. You, little man, are very much wanted and loved. By both of us. Don't ever let anyone tell you anything different." Eliot ran a finger down the baby's face, the roughness of his finger catching a little on the smoothness of the baby's cheek. "Welcome to our world, Ben. It's a big, bad place, but your mama and daddy are gonna kick the ass of anyone that dares hurt you."

"Explaining the facts of life to my son?" Bri asked from the door.

Eliot looked up, surprised that he had been so focused on the baby that he hadn't heard Bri. "Just didn't want him to think he was the cause of any of the issues between us. It's not fair to put that on a kid. Especially not a baby."

Bri frowned. They didn't talk about the past, not unless it had something to do with skills or the job they were working, but Eliot's acts and words had made her believe he hadn't had the most pleasant of upbringings. She wondered sometimes if he'd had a step-father that had abused him or something. Crossing the room, she ran a gentle hand through his hair. It was shorter than the last time she had seen him, but still shoulder length. "He will _always_ know he's loved," she assured him. "By both of us." Holding the bottle out to him, she asked, "Want to feed him?"

"No. Bri, that's…no."

Bri grinned. "What's wrong? Big, bad Eliot Spencer afraid of a baby?"

"Not afraid, but what if I hurt him?"

Gently, Bri guided his hands into the proper position until both were sitting comfortably. "Trust me, okay?" She put a pillow under his elbow and then handed him the bottle. "Just rub it against his lips. He'll open up. Just nice and gentle."

Tentatively, Eliot followed her directions, smiling as Ben did accept the bottle. The baby's eyelids drifted shut as he began to suck. He looked up as Bri combed her fingers through his hair again. "What?"

"Nothing." She smiled down at them. "Just a sight I didn't think I'd actually see." Leaning over she kissed the top of Ben's head before meeting Eliot's eyes. "Are you planning to stay?"

"I…I don't have anywhere to be for a few days," he admitted.

"Why don't we put him back to bed? And go to bed ourselves?" she suggested.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.

"No," she admitted as she lifted the baby from his arms. "But when has that ever stopped us?"


End file.
